Rebound (2005 film)

Plot

Coach Roy McCormick (Martin Lawrence) was once college basketball's top mastermind. His attention began to turn on what endorsement contracts he could secure instead of actually coaching his team. Roy lets his temper get the best of him in most situations. After causing a mishap with a mascot, the board bans McCormick from collegiate basketball until he can show that he can control his anger. Roy's reputation has doomed him to being unhireable as a long time passes with no job offers. However, McCormick then gets one job offer, to Mount Vernon Junior High School, which was also where he graduated as a teenager. His alma mater's basketball team, the Smelters, is looking for somebody to coach the team, and the headmistress thinks an alumnus of his caliber in basketball would be ideal. Although irritated, Roy realizes he has no other options and accepts the coaching job, figuring this is the way to prove he can control his anger and get back into the spotlight of college basketball. As Roy begins coaching the squad, he gets into an embarrassing situation that he's never been in before and decides, enough is enough. He eventually starts teaching the concepts of basketball to his new team, albeit placing paramount emphasis on sportsmanship. With teaching and learning being done between both Roy and the kids, the Smelters eventually start having success. Unexpectedly, this leads Roy to find what he's been missing this whole time...not a big coaching gig, not high-dollar endorsement deals, and not even his name in lights...but his simple love of the game. Eventually Roy gains a new appreciation for his old school and figures that while it does not lead to big money endorsements, he can earn a comfortable living from this job.

Cast

Critical reception

Rebound received negative reviews from critics. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds a 13% rating, based on 90 reviews, with an average rating of 3.7/10. The site's consensus reads, "Rebound ought to entertain its target audience, but there's nothing here for those who've seen The Bad News Bears or its countless derivatives." On Metacritic, the film has a score of 36 out of 100, based on 25 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews".

Box office

The film opened on July 1, 2005 and grossed $5,033,848 in its opening weekend, hitting #7; by the end of its run, the film had grossed $16,809,014 domestically and $683,000 internationally for a worldwide total of $17,492,014. Compared to its budget of $33.1 million, Rebound was a flop.